Gun carriage having cranked axletrees



June 26, 1923.

E. SCHNEIDER GUN CARRIAGE HAVING CRANKED AXLETREES Filed NOV. 27. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 26, 1923.

1,459,800 E. SCHNEIDER GUN CARRIAGE HAVING CRANKED AXLETREES Filed Nov. 27. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 26, 1923.

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I EUGENE SCHNEIDER, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO SCHNEIDER 8:7 0113., OF PARIS, FRANCE, A LIMITED JOINT-STOCK COMPANY OF FRANCE.

GUN CARRIAGE HAVING CRANKED AXLETREES.

Application filed November 27, 1922. Serial No. 603,697.

T all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, EUGENE SCHNEIDER, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at Paris, France, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Gun Carriages Having Cranked Axletrees, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to improvements in 1 gun carriages of the type disclosed in the U. Patent No. 833,636, dated October 16, 1906.

In that earlier patent there i described a type of gun carriage having a cranked axle- 1 tree which latter can be raised from the lowest position of the axle-tree body into the highest position of the said axle-tree body, by the actuation, by means of an operating lever, of a spring-bolt articulated to the crank of the axle-tree and arranged to engage in one or the other of two notches formed diametrically opposite each other in a'sheath which is fixed to the gun carriage and in which the body of the axle-tree is capable of turning.

Such a manoeuvre is however laborious, because it is necessary to cause the perating lever to move through an angle of 180 whilst it has to lift a heavy load during that movement.

The present invention has for its object to provide an improved apparatus for manoeuvring a gun carriage of the type described in my aforesaid earlier patent.

According to the present invention in the sheath, or more correctly, in two discs fixed to the said sheath, there are formed two engagement notches which, instead of being diametrally opposite each other, are near each other, that is to say, are formed at the ends of two radii at a relatively small angle apart from each other; and further the cranks of the axle-tree are provided with a plurality of spring bolts, preferably equidistant, whereof the angular distance apart is equal to a fraction of the half-turn which must be given to the body of the axle-tree in order to raise the latter.

A constructional form of this invention is illustrated in detail by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a half elevation in section taken along the axis of the cranked axle-tree of the gun carriage, along the line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the axle-tree, after removal of the road wheel on the same side.

In these Figures 1 and 2 :the axle-tree is shown in its lowest position.

Figure 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end elevationof the axle-tree shown in its highest position.

Figs. 5 and 6 are end elevations illustrating the two intermediate positions of the axle-tree during the raising operation.

As in the constructional form described in my aforesaid earlier patent, the gun carriage, having a cranked axle-tree, comprises a sheath A which is fixed to the gun carriage head or trail headB, and in which the body of the axle-tree C is capable of turning. The latter terminates at each end in a crank D the crank pin 03 of which serves as the journal of the corresponding road wheel.

According to the present invention, the sheath A carries at each end, a half-disc A in the periphery of which there are formed two notches a and a These notches are arranged at a small angular distance apart as shown in the drawing. To a disc D fixed to the crank D, there are articulated a plurality of bolts F, F F 2 arranged likewise at relatively small angular distances from one another.

In the illustrated example it is assumed that these bolts are three in number, each bolt acted upon by a spring (f, f f bearing upon the disc. D and having a tendency to push the bolt outwards.

The bolts are formed each with a nose (G, G G which is caused to snap automatically into one or other of the notches a, a by the pushing action of the spring exerted upon the said bolt when the latter, in the course of the manoeuvre, comes opposite the said notch.

When the axle-tree is in its lowest position (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) the bolt F is engaged, by means of its nose, in the upper notch a, whilst the bolts F and F bear with their nose G G against the inside surface of the disc A To raise the axle-tree, the socket provided on the end of an operating lever H (shown in section and dot-and-dash lines in two different positions in Fig. 1) is fitted in the usual manner on the tenon of the bolt F, and after having pushed the operating lever in the upward direction in the direction'of the arrow (Fig. 1) so as to bring the nose G out of the notch (1 the operating lever is turned in a clock-wise direction through an angle equal to the angular distance between the bolts F, F

The bolt F is thus brought opposite the notch a wherein the nose G is automatically caused to engage by the pushing action of the spring f The parts have then the positions shown in Fig. 5; the axle-tree being arrested and held in an intermediate position. After having taken a convenient rest, the operator may continue the manoeuvre, by disengaging the operating lever from the tenon F, and fitting it on the tenon F Then the operator repeats with the bolt F the manoeuvre he has previously performed in the case of the bolt F, that is to :say, after having disengaged the nose G from the notch (b he turns the operating lever in a clockwise direction through an angle equal to the angular distance separating the bolts F and F thereby moving the nose G of the bolt F opposite the notch a into which this nose engages automatically The parts are now in the position shown in Fig. 6.

In order to prevent the bolts F, I from being pushed outwards, when their noses are no. longer being held back by the disc A these bolts areprovided each upon its face opposite to the nose G, with a retaining hook (g, 9 which clamps the bolt upon the disc D of the crank.

To complete the manoeuvre the operator has now merely, by means of his operating lever, to actuate the bolt F in such a manner as to cause its nose G to engage the notch a; the parts then occupying finally the positions shown in Fig. 4.

It is obvious that, in order to return the axle-tree from its highest position into its lowest position, the above described series of operations is performed in the reverse order.

Each of the discs A has formed in it a concentric slot at in which works a stud (Z projecting from the disc D The ends of 1,4ee,soo

this slot a thus constitute stops for limiting in both directions the angular movement of the disc D relatively to the disc A Having now particularly described and as certained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, wedeclare that what we claim is 1. In a wheeled gun carriage, the combination of a sheath secured to said carriage, a cranked axle tree rotatably engaging said sheath, a half-discsecured'to said sheath and having formed therein a plurality of notches and a concentric groove, a plurality of locking bolts pivotally .secured to each crank portion oi said axle tree and having lugs adapted to engage said notches, a plurality of springs :for automatically forcing said bolts into engagement with said. notches when the gun is being lifted, a portion of said bolts being normally held in inoperative position by engagement with one face of said half-disc, and means secured to said crank and extending into said groove for limiting the angular distance through which said crank and disc may be relatively moved.

2. In a wheeled gun carriage, the combination of a sheath secured to said carriage, a cranked axle tree rotatably engaging said sheath, a half-disc secured to said sheath and having formed therein a plurality of notches and a concentric'groove, a plurality of locking bolts pivotally secured to each crankportion of said axle tree and having lugs adapted to engage said notches, a plurality of springs for automatically forcing said bolts into engagement with said notches when the gun is being lifted, a portion of said bolts being normally'heldin inoperative position by engagement with one face of said half-disc, and means for limiting the pivotal movement of said locking bolts when the same are rotated to a position beyond the limits of said half-disc.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER. Vvitnesses ANDRE MosrIoKER, LOUIS GARDET. 

